Hi there!!
I owned a 1980 Triumph Spitfire 1500 before I sadly crashed it and had to get rid of it.
It wasn't a great example, I spent less than £1350 on it and it needed body work doing and the rear leaf spring, rear differential replaced.
I never had it long enough to do much to the body work, just replace the bonnet (heavy thing when doing it by yourself, as I did!), boot lid, front 1/4 valances - just bolt on stuff.
As for price, £3000-£4000 (model dependent) would get you a very good one. I wouldn't personally spend a penny more on one - they're not appreciating at the moment and they do need some care. If it needs the body work, interior or engine doing, or mechanical, or anything doing to it, don't buy it. £3000-£4000 is considered concourse money for a Spitfire.
However, you could find the right car, with enough looking, for £1800-£2800 that may just need a blow over, may be a retune and the carpets replaced.
As for what to look for, hope this lot helps;
- Make sure there is no filler at all. So get the fridge magnet out and check it sticks.
- Rust/corrosion normally occurs on the wheel arches, wings, wind-screen frame, floorpans, sills, chassis, boot floor, boot lid (edges) and door (edges) and valances.
- Luckily, the valances, bonnet and boot lid are all bolt on. The body tub also bolts to the chassis (after you undo the hand brake cable).
- Try to get one with overdrive. On the later models, this is a switch on the gear knob, with in and out on it. This makes motorway and higher speed cruising more pleasant for the car and you.
- Parts are generally easy to come by. They're also quite cheap in comparison with other cars, with full engines costing around £1000, near gearboxes around £600, and rear differentials are £380.
- The bonnet is a very large (and expensive). The bonnet includes the headlamp cowls, front wings and top panel. Front wings and front wheel arches (along with the relevant plates) can all be grinded or chiselled off so that replacements can be welded on, however, it's easier to replace the whole bonnet panel with one from a breakers that you can look at before hand. Cowls just screw on. Full bonnets, new, are between £7-800!
- Breakers are a good place to get rare items and more expensive items (like panels) I got all my panels from a breakers.
- Standard Spitfires have SU Carburettors. Look for larger Weber/dellorto carburettors on modified Spitfires.
- The engine by standard is a straight 4. Standard radiators are satisfactory and offer sufficient cooling but full size radiators are good.
- Electric fans may be found on some Spitfires. They draw a lot of current, and the fuse box in a Spitfire only has 3 fuses on it. They are under enough strain all ready, so check for relays etc. to help the few fuses out.
- Seats, knobs, switches, guages, carpets are all quite expensive to replace, make sure these are okay.
- The car was manufactured with a spare wheel in the boot and a wheel iron. These are a good idea to have.
- The hood should be checked for tears. Hoods are a bit of a nuisance to have to fit and are quite expensive.
- Chrome bumpers are more desired than rubber ones. Rubber ones (along with cruising lights) are a trademark of certain American cars. They are best avoided as they have also been de-tuned for fuel emission reasons. Re-chroming is expensive, but you may be able to find a cheap one in a breakers should they need replacing.
- A well tuned standard Spitfire engine should be capable of 28-38mpg, depending on how hard you push it. 0-60 acceleration should be around 13-19 seconds (model dependent) for a standard Spitfire. The 1500 will do 0-60 in around 13 seconds.
- Triumph Spitfires didn't come with 'unleaded' heads. However, it has been researched, and standard Spitfire engines should have no problem with unleaded fuel.
- Watch out for excessive smoke, oil and petrol leaks, on start up. Some or all of these may point to major engine problems.
- The car should smoothly speed up to 60 and further. If you are having trouble going over 60mph, with the gas pedal fully down, this could point to engine, fuel or carburettor problems and may be expensive (and difficult) to pinpoint and fix.
- The rev counter should smoothly go to 5000+, however, it is recommended not to make a habit of going over 5000 on the later Triumph Spitfire 1500s (1493cc) as they have a large enough stroke already and are considered less hardy than the MK IV (1296cc) MK3 (1296cc) or MK2 and MK1s (1196cc). Make a note of any noises at certains revs or speeds. These may indicate propshaft, wheel balancing or other problems.
- Only MK IVs (to 1974) and earlier Spitfires are tax exempt. However, many people swap the standard MK IV engine for the 1500 engine, as the MK IV is considered 'underpowered' compared to the MK3 or the 1500.
- 1500s were produced between 1974 and 1981, MK IVs between 1970 and 1974, MK3s between 1966 and 1969/70 and MK2s were 1964-1966.
A bit exhaustive (sorry) but hopefully that will be a good start for you. If you need to know anything else, let me know!
£700+ is considered poor condition, £1500 standard and £3-4000 very good (if not concourse).
Triumph Spitfires can hold corners well, if not pushed too hard (I learned that lesson, twice!) but they are rear wheel drive, so are tail happy. They brake well, considering, but won't brake as well as a modern car, they also have a little rattle in them, mainly because of their design and the separate (as opposed to monocoque) design of the chassis and body tub. Watch out for fishtailing, oversteer, aquaplaning and spinning when taking corners too fast, especially in the wet. But there is no need to worry if you drive reasonably well and don't take bends too quickly.
Insurance is generally cheap for a standard Spitfire especially on a classic car policy, but make sure you have agreed value in writing, in case of a claim.
David